1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sanding apparatus, and more particularly to a sanding apparatus such as a detail sander, provided with a sanding member which is to be oscillated to perform sanding work.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional sanding apparatus comprises a sanding member, a drive unit, a motion converting means and a connecting means. The sanding member has on a lower end thereof a flat sanding plate, and is able to oscillate around a rotating axis at right angles to the sanding plate. The sanding plate of the sanding member has an abrasive lower surface by attaching, for example, a sheet of sandpaper to the lower surface thereof. The drive unit comprises in general a DC motor, and causes the sanding member to oscillate around the rotating axis. The motion converting means has an oscillating arm, and is connected to a rotating output shaft of the drive unit. The motion converting means permits conversion of a rotational motion of the output shaft of the drive unit to an oscillation motion. The connecting means connects the oscillating arm of the motion converting means at one end thereof with the sanding member.
According to the conventional sanding apparatus, the rotational motion of the output shaft of the drive unit is converted to the oscillation motion of the oscillating arm by means of the motion converting means, thereby causing the oscillating arm to oscillate. The sanding member is oscillated around the rotating axis together with the oscillating arm so as to perform sanding work.
In such a sanding apparatus, a forefront portion of the abrasive lower surface of the sanding plate of the sanding member has, in general, more frequency of use than the other portion thereof. As a result, when sanding work is carried out with the use of the above-mentioned sanding apparatus, the abrasive lower surface of the sanding plate of the sanding member tends to be wore out at the forefront portion thereof at a relatively short period of time.
However, the connecting means of the above-described conventional sanding apparatus permits no adjustment of a securing angle of the sanding member to the oscillating arm of the motion converting means. When there has therefore been wore out only the forefront portion of the abrasive lower surface of the sanding plate of the sanding member, it is necessary to change the entire abrasive lower surface to a new one by peeling off a sheet of sandpaper whose forefront portion has been wore out and then attaching a new sheet of sandpaper to the lower surface of the sanding plate. This changing operation of the sheet of sandpaper causes an uneconomical problem due to a waste of sandpaper, and must be conducted with attention to preventing dust and other debris from being caught between the lower surface of the sanding plate and the new sheet of sandpaper, thus being relatively complicated and leading to a lower working efficiency.